The right-wing policy agenda written for a new Donald Trump presidency would “greatly accelerate” efforts to privatize Medicare
Last year, for the first time ever, a majority of Americans eligible for Medicare were on privatized Medicare Advantage plans. If Republicans win the presidential race this year, the push to fully privatize Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors and people with disabilities, will only intensify.
Conservative operatives have already sketched out what the GOP’s policy agenda would look like in the early days of a new Donald Trump presidency. As Rolling Stone has detailed, the proposed Project 2025 agenda is radically right-wing. One item buried in the 887-page blueprint has attracted little attention thus far, but would have a monumental impact on the health of America’s seniors and the future of one of America’s most popular social programs: a call to “make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option” for people who are newly eligible for Medicare.
Such a policy would hasten the end of the traditional Medicare program, as well as its foundational premise: that seniors can go to any doctor or provider they choose. The change would be a boon for private health insurers — which generate massive profits and growing portions of their revenues from Medicare Advantage plans — and further consolidate corporate control over the United States health care system.
Has privatizing ever worked out in the favor of the general public?
Also, I still feel like republicans are an existential threat. We should treat them as such, and not like “oh well it’s just a difference of opinion and if they vote to kill me I guess that’s fine.”
Depends on your definition. To a very large extent so much of the government is. Your city government isn’t developing their own OS or fabricating their own metal parts.
Less pedantically I think you mean “has there been a role that was traditionally done by civil servants that was handed over to private sector and things got better as a whole?”. It is a good question the only thing I can think of is some local government maintenance stuff is done that way. My city for example and our neighbor has the same night contractor for emergency repairs. I have worked with them a few times and they do alright, most of them are semi-retired.
Nope. Never.